Nuclear Blast Records reports the following:

Two years ago, Swedish Heavy Metal Templars of HAMMERFALL announced a creative break after celebrating their 15th anniversary of their legendary debut »Glory To The Brave«. “We are taking a pause to ensure that we have another 15 years ahead of us”, said Oscar Dronjak back then. “The plan is to use the year off to recharge our batteries and come back more vital than ever with a new album in 2014″, added singer Joacim Cans.

HAMMERFALL’s anniversary show in Dalhalla was recorded and released afterwards on DVD, followed by the final show at the Wacken Open Air. The German festival was the first show HAMMERFALL ever did outside of Sweden, and marked the beginning of the long and passionate relationship the band has enjoyed with the German metal fans. And where the story started, the first chapter ended, there will also be the return: HAMMERFALL are proud to announce their performance at the 25th anniversary of the 2014 Wacken Open Air. And the show won’t be a standard one! Oscar Dronjak explains: “It’s very fitting that, when Wacken celebrates its 25th anniversary, they will get a proper “Glory To The Brave” anniversary show. This will be a throwback show to the European gig that launched it all for us: Wacken Open Air 1997. The set list will consist of all the songs from the first album and we’ll of course add some newer songs at the end. We will do this very unique show at Wacken and nowhere else, so if you miss it, you missed it.”

In August 2014 also the new and yet untitled studio album of HAMMERFALL will be released. There will also be a single – released on vinyl and digitally – upfront in June. Oscar Dronjak reveals: “We’ve all kept ourselves busy with various projects of a musical nature, but, man, it feels good to finally announce that we’re going to release a new HAMMERFALL album next year! The album is set for an August release, and we have already begun writing songs for it. It’s always difficult to tell which direction we will end up going in when you’re in the middle of it, but it feels like this will be a mix of the very best of what we have done over the years. The time off has given us perspective on a lot of things, and the new material seems to reflect this. We’re all super excited to get this going again and bring you a revitalized and reenergized HAMMERFALL!”

This new album will mark a return to Fredrik Nordström, who worked with the band in their early days. Joacim Cans explains: “It’s a great honor to have Fredrik Nordström back as the main producer for HAMMERFALL. As the father and founder of “The Gothenburg Sound” as well as the producer of »Glory To The Brave« and »Legacy Of Kings« we are confident that he will take our music to new and yet unreached levels”.

James Michael who had co-produced the band’s latest studio album »Infected« will once again take over the vocal recordings: “In order to maintain the high vocal standard set on »Infected« we will return to USA and record with multitalented SIXX:AM vocalist James Michael. Never have I experienced such great set-up and environment as when we recorded the previous album. Even though things will be different this time around since he is re-locating in Los Angeles, I am damn sure he will make my vocal chord deliver like never before”

This won’t be the only return to the bands roots. The artwork of the new record will be created by no one else, but Andreas Marschall, who actually was the founder of Hector, to be seen on »Glory To The Brave« and many other great HAMMERFALL artworks.

“There has never been any doubt in our minds that we would be back, and the moment we made the decision to take a much-needed break, we already had a strategy for the future of the band. A new album in 2014 has always been the plan, and when Joacim and I started to discuss the parameters for the next HAMMERFALL album we found that one of the first points we immediately agreed on was that we should consider asking Andreas Marschall to do the cover artwork. Andreas is responsible for the first three HAMMERFALL albums, and it seemed like the perfect time to let him interpret Hector again”, comments Oscar Dronjak.